Chess Valley U15’s victorious against Regents Park

A glorious autumn morning at Croxley Guild of Sport saw the U15’s, U16’s, their opponents and officials stand shoulder to shoulder down the pitch. As 11am loomed, players and spectators fell silent to remember and honour those who have died in war.

11:02am
As the whistle blew, Joseph was straight on the ball. The Chess Valley (CV) boys had made a tough, uncompromising start. Great running and catching by Jack saw CV make a break. A fantastic run by Ben, passing across the field to Eion, enabled Adam to orchestrate a great back line move with a slick pass to Joseph to secure CV first try.
11:05am CV 5 – RP 0

Regents Park (RP) came back straight away to score a hard fought try.
11:08 CV 5 – RP 5

From the scrum, Rory made a great pass through the RP players. Hard pushing by Adam and Eion saw Ethan race across the line to secure CV second try. A great conversion by Adam followed.
11:11am CV 12 – RP 5

As RP kicked off, their ball was met with a fantastic catch by Rafe to halt their advance. A speedy run and pin-point passing by Matt saw Jack take the ball down the field. As RP gained possession of the ball, hard tackling by Tommy and a superb catch by Jack gave Joseph the opportunity to score his ‘very slick’ second try. Another strong conversion by Adam put CV firmly in the lead.
11:16am CV 19 – RP 5

As play continued, both teams were fighting hard. The CV boys displayed some amazing ‘basketball style ‘ passing. That and tough tackling by Tommy gave the RP boys something to think about. From the line out, CV demonstrated a well rehearsed display. Strong lifting by Thomas and Oliver, a secure catch by George, solid running by Eion, fast passing by Matt and Jack to Ben who shot down the pitch with an excellent run across the line for his first try. A confident kick by Adam secured the conversion.
11:20 CV 26 – RP 5

A solid catch by Ethan saw CV take control of the ball. Despite being tackled to the ground, Ethan showed great skill on the floor to pass the ball to Ben who charged down the pitch supported by skilful tackling by Joseph. As RP gained possession, a another great tackle by Ethan won the ball for CV once again, followed by a lovely carry back into heavy traffic by Oliver.
The CV boys took the line out like a well oiled machine. The plan was set and the moves swiftly performed. A strong drive by Eion, passing to Ethan who handed the ball to Toby who ‘dotted’ the ball down in the corner for his first try of the game. An unlucky kick in strong wind (although described by Adam as a ‘slice ‘) prevented the conversion.
11:23 CV 31 – RP 5
Back in play, CV once again gained possession of the ball with a brilliant catch by Oliver. Both teams were tackling hard but CV had the edge as Ben ran the ball down the pitch. Fantastic passing by CV across the field saw Eion take the ball confidently across the line to score another try for CV.
11:28am CV 36 – RP 5

Half time score Chess Valley 36 - Regents Park 5

As the second half started, a hard push by CV saw them win the ball. RP had come back strong and both teams were giving it their all. A well performed line out saw CV take the ball and swiftly pass it across the pitch. Great tackling and hard pushing by both teams saw them fight it out just inside of the RP line. RP squeezed through to score their second try. A confident kick by the RP number 9 took the conversion.
11:38 CV 36 – RP 12

A strong kick off by Adam and tough tackling on RP by Rory saw Jack make a superb catch. As RP tackled hard and gained possession of the ball, a tenacious Tommy brought down the RP player.
As play moved on, CV showed dominance as they once again performed two well executed line outs. Military like teamwork saw the CV boys win the ball. A precise pass to Adam by Rory saw him make a fantastic run down the field. With both teams pushing on, RP took possession of the ball. As the CV boys pushed back, Adam took the ball and with fast pace and skilful passing by Rory and Ethan, CV drove the ball towards their line.
As both teams pushed in the scrum, CV won the ball. A straight pass to Ben saw him fast across the line to score another try for CV. A great conversion was taken by Adam.
11:48 CV 43 – RP 12

As RP kicked off, their efforts were met with a great catch by Oliver to gain the ball for CV. Fantastic passing by the CV boys across the field saw Adam offload to Joseph who strode down the pitch at speed to score a brilliant try, his third of the game. A direct kick by Adam secured the conversion.
11:50am CV 50 - RP 12

As play continued, both teams were working hard. CV were working well together showing the opposition their skill and determination. Ethan showed fantastic hands passing the ball to Rafe who in turn gave the ball to Ben to make the break. All players were fighting for the ball. A smart kick by RP was a good attempt to gain the ball but was lost.
Another well executed line out saw George catch and pass the ball to Ruben who made a powerful drive through before passing to Rory. As RP gained the ball, George delivered a blinding tackle. The teamwork demonstrated by the CV boys was fantastic. The tackling and passing was accurate, that combined with some great runs by Joseph kept the game at a fast tempo.
From the scrum, RP had the ball. The CV boys were still putting the pressure on but after a great run, RP scored their third try of the game. Another strong conversion followed.
12:04pm CV 50 – RP 19

As CV kicked off, RP gained possession of the ball. CV were still in command as Ben tackled and brought down the RP player. With Adam taking the ball, he stormed across the line in the centre of the posts to score another try for CV. A final conversion was secured by AdamA with a direct kick between the posts.
12:07 CV 57 – RP 19

Final score Chess Valley 57 – Regents Park 19

In true CV U15’s style, congratulations were given to the opposition. Once again, the Chess Valley boys showed tight teamwork, respect for the game and each other and great sportsmanship. Well done boys.